WAR: Intrusion by Vanessa Kier

to loud complaining by the South African government.
    “Not as far as I’ve heard.” Kris still had contacts within the U.S. military, including Max’s brother, Wil Lansing, who was stationed in the Greater Niger Republic. “I’ll check with Wil to see if he knows of any missing weapons that could be your MP3 players. In the meantime, since your cover has been blown, Azumah and the President have worked out an agreement for you and Tony to provide assistance as needed.”
    “I’m not certain there’s much left to do.” As he’d been talking, Lachlan had moved back the way he’d come. Now he stood behind the administration building. Through the louvered windows of the headmistress’s office he watched Dr. Kirk working on a young woman who was missing the lower part of her right arm. An unfamiliar woman in a white coat assisted her. The door to the lobby was open and Lachlan spotted Tony standing guard.
    Dr. Kirk held a scalpel poised over her patient while her assistant sponged up blood. Reinforcements with proper supplies must have arrived. “Tony and I took out three of the four snipers. Last I saw, the locals had the fourth one cornered. Any word on if they kept him alive?”
    “Negative. He blew himself up and took several cops with him.”
    Lachlan grimaced. “I’m sorry for that. The locals took heavy casualties. This was not something they appeared well-prepared to handle.”
    “Not surprising,” Kris replied. “Too many of the local governments are either in denial about the rebel threat, don’t have the funds or the skilled trainers necessary to prepare their forces, or are steeped in so much corruption the rebels could probably take over with one large financial contribution.”
    “Which reminds me, did the research team turn up any information on those names I forwarded? With Natchaba being implicated as a possible mastermind of today’s attack, I want to know if he has any ties to the rebels.”
    “I’ll check with Research and get back to you, but they’re still overloaded.”
    One of the unfortunate side effects of WAR being an underground movement was the lack of adequate resources. Their limited budget tended to be used first for weapons, ammunition, and medical care, with research falling last.
    “So, what are you going to do about Dr. Kirk?” Kris asked. “Did you believe her when she says she was ignorant of any planned attack?”
    Inside the office, the patient Dr. Kirk had been working on was placed on a stretcher and carried into the library, which had been turned into a recovery room. Her assistant followed the stretcher out. Alone in the room, Dr. Kirk bowed her head and her shoulders sagged, but not before Lachlan saw the misery and frustration on her face. A tendril of sympathy tapped against the ice in his chest.
    A moment later, the attendants returned and placed another patient on the headmistress’s desk that served as the operating table. Dr. Kirk disposed of her soiled gloves, pulled on another pair, then immediately began working.
    Lachlan rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I don’t know what to believe,” he admitted. “I’m watching her right now and what I’m seeing is a hard-working, skilled doctor doing the best she can to save lives in sub-optimal conditions. But—”
    “Between her admission that she looked the other way on the other smuggling, her mother, and your fear of doctors, you’re having trouble fully accepting her innocence. If it helps, Rene thinks very highly of her.”
    Lachlan’s mouth quirked. “Och now, if the legendary Dr. LaSalle gives his approval,” he said drily, “then Dr. Kirk must be a saint.” Rene had saved Lachlan’s life once and never let him forget it. A mission had gone bad and Lachlan had been separated from his team and bleeding out. Then suddenly Rene had appeared out of the dark. He’d ignored Lachlan’s protests that he didn’t need medical aid and his less than polite suggestion that Rene get